As they stepped out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, the sunlight shone warmly on their faces. Su Xingyu squinted and reached into her pocket—she didn’t even remember when she’d slipped a candy in there—and peeled off the wrapper before popping it into her mouth.

“Want one?” she asked, pulling out another.

Fu Yanqing glanced at the candy. It was a plain fruit-flavored hard candy, wrapped in a translucent pink wrapper.

“No thanks.”

“Here, take it,” she said, pressing the candy into his hand. “You should have something sweet at a wedding.”

He looked down at the candy in his hand, then back at her. She was sucking on it, her cheeks slightly puffed out, looking in good spirits.

He slipped the candy into his pocket, placing it alongside the seven red beans.

They started walking toward the parking lot. Su Xingyu led the way, with Fu Yanqing following behind.

Then he heard a sound.

Without thinking, he looked up—

a truck came hurtling in from the side.

It wasn’t driving normally. The vehicle swerved wildly off the road, its tires screeching against the pavement as the front end barreled straight toward them.

Time seemed to slow down.

Fu Yanqing caught sight of the truck’s license plate, the driver’s terrified face behind the wheel, and the words “Unnamed Logistics Company” spray-painted on the side. His brain processed all this information in an instant and arrived at one conclusion—

There was no time to dodge.

He didn’t even have time to feel fear. All he thought, calmly, was: “So it’s really here.”

Then someone hit him.

Not exactly “hit”—more like “pushed.” A tremendous force struck him from the side, landing precisely on his shoulder and sending him flying out of the truck’s path.

He stumbled twice and fell to the ground. His knees scraped against the concrete, and his palms were torn open, burning with pain. He pushed himself up, staring at the ground—

The truck sped past where he’d been standing just moments before, crashing into the utility pole behind them.

A deafening crash. The pole snapped at the base, the upper half tilting precariously downward, sparks flying as it crashed—right onto the very spot where he’d been standing a second earlier.

If he’d stayed there, that pole would have smashed straight down on his head.

Fu Yanqing’s mind went blank.

Then he saw Su Xingyu.

She stood two steps away from him, her face pale, hands braced on her knees, gasping for breath in sheer shock. Her ponytail had come loose, her hair tangled and falling over her shoulders. A smudge of gray stained her light-blue coat, and the cuffs of her white shirt were dirty too.

It was she who had pushed him.

Fu Yanqing opened his mouth but found his voice had vanished. He sat on the ground, staring at the petite girl—her hunched posture as she caught her breath, the sweat dampening her temples.

“Su Xingyu—” he finally managed to call her name, his voice hoarse and unrecognizable.

She looked up at him. Fear still lingered in her eyes, but the corners of her mouth turned up in a tentative smile.

“That was close,” she said, her voice trembling. “So close, so close.”

Fu Yanqing stood up. His knees and palms ached, but he didn’t care. He walked over to Su Xingyu and looked down at her.

“You—” he began, then couldn’t think of what else to say.

“I’m fine,” Su Xingyu straightened up and brushed the dust off her clothes. “Just a bit shaken.”

Her voice still trembled, but she tried hard to appear calm. She turned to look at the truck—the front end was crushed, the utility pole lay on its side, wires and shards of glass strewn everywhere. The driver had crawled out of the cab, blood on his face, looking terrified.

People were beginning to gather around—some calling the police, others asking if anyone was hurt. A passerby ran over to ask if they needed an ambulance. Su Xingyu shook her head and said they were okay.

Fu Yanqing stood by her side, saying nothing.

He was thinking about one thing—where he would be right now if she hadn’t pushed him.

The answer was uncomfortably close, sending a chill down his spine.

“Let’s go,” Su Xingyu tugged at his sleeve. “Once the authorities arrive, we’ll have to fill out official reports. It’s such a hassle.”

As she spoke, she turned and headed toward the parking lot. After taking a couple of steps, she looked back and saw that he was still standing there.

“Fu Yanqing?” she called. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he replied.

He caught up with her and walked over to the car. She opened the passenger door, climbed in, buckled her seatbelt, leaned back, and let out a long sigh.

Fu Yanqing settled into the driver’s seat but didn’t start the engine right away.

He sat there, gripping the steering wheel and staring at the fallen utility pole through the windshield.

“Su Xingyu,” he called her name.

“Mm?”

“You just…”
“Mm?”

He fell silent for a moment. “Thank you.”

Su Xingyu turned to look at him. He kept his gaze straight ahead, not meeting her eyes. But she noticed that the fingers clutching the steering wheel were unnaturally pale, clenched so tightly that the knuckles stood out.

End of Chapter 10: The Car Accident